


a delicate meeting

by Darkaja



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cute, Established Relationship, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Post-Season/Series 02, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-18 01:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18976123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkaja/pseuds/Darkaja
Summary: It’s been many yearssince three friends and a dragon, after an unexpected encounter and friendship, had changed the world. Xadia is finally reunited again, and elves and humans are slowly starting to live together again, after a war that lasted almost a thousand years.The world is changing. As the elven kingdom is forging new lost relationships, humans are rediscovering the meaning of magic.The Arcanum, once a prerogative of magical creatures, had been discovered to exist even in humans.Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Katolis, near the Cursed Caldera, a little girl is looking out the window of an inn, watching the snow slowly descending on the surrounding houses, with a rather bored gaze...





	a delicate meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jelly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelly/gifts).
  * Inspired by [a delicate arrangement](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17994344) by [Jelly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelly/pseuds/Jelly). 



> Just a realaborated one-shot of my old fanfic. The story is set many years after "a delicate arrangement" and "a delicate condition". Hope you like it! *Updated the title to something more appropriate to the "a delicate" serie, and added some other small details.*

 Selene looked out the window.

As usual, that day it was still snowing. Nothing too new, snow was ordinary at that altitude near the Cursed Caldera.

She yawned, and looked around her with an absent and quite lazy gaze. The inn was almost empty that day, except for a group of humans and elves loudly talking each other at the tables; since the borders had been opened again, her parents had moved from the edge of Xadia, where they had lived hidden for a long time before the end of the war, and had bought the inn. They knew that business had been much better there. Perhaps too much, considering that they were forced to ask for her help, in order to manage all of those new customers.

But _-Gods_ \- although it was her birthday, that day she was _really_ bored.

Selene looked into the window again, tucking with her four-fingered hand a single lock of black hair behind the rounded ear, and contemplated her reflection with a rather upset and sad expression. A pair of horns, and different colored eyes, one black, and the other one blue.

“ _No surprise the other children don’t want to play with me_. _Hm, maybe I could ask to that woman with the crippled wolf_ …” She mused in her mind with a frown on her brow.

She casted a glance at at her parents, both serving the customers in the inn. Her father was a tall man, with black eyes, bushy beard, and curly hair, while her mother was an elf, with blue eyes, silver hair, and a pair of horns on her head.

She yawned again, and in that moment the inn’s door opened, making a near bell ring.

A cloaked man had just entered, shaking off some snow from his head. He was dressed heavily, like basically everyone else there; he wore a bag on his left side, a red tunic under the cloak, boots, and a long red scarf wrapped around his neck several times. Selene also noticed a sort of book tied on his right side. A scholar, perhaps?

The stranger gazed around the room, and then he went to her father, making his way through the tables.

"How long are you going to stay?"

"Oh, not that much." The other one replied, smiling. “I’m just visiting an old friend of mine who lives on the mountain." He added, holding out some coins. "I'd like to stay near the fireplace, I'm waiting for someone else."

“Nobody lives up there.” Selene’s father pointed out, his eyebrow arched.

“It’s just a...” The guest hesitated and pursed his lips. “Very lonely and shy person, that all.”

Her father gave him a suspicious look, but then he shrugged and took the coins, pointing to a corner with his finger.  "Fine then. My daughter’llll serve you for today."

The stranger walked in that direction and sat down on a chair near the fireplace, only to realize that the flames were almost extinguished.

He snorted and proceed to mutter something with an eye roll, his hand glowing in front of him, while with the other one he untied his scarf from the neck.

" _Aspiro_!"

A light breeze lifted in the direction of the fireplace, and the flames lit on.

Selene gaped, and approached from behind, yelling, "You are a _mage_! How did you do that?"

The guest immediately froze and turned around with a jump, then promptly cursed out loud, as soon as he realized that the end of his scarf had almost caught fire.

He finally took a neat look at her. Selene noticed that he had green eyes, and a slight beard on his cheeks.

"A mage? Who, me? No, no!" He looked around, with a guilty expression. "It's just the door, see?" He jerked his thumb where he entered a little earlier. "The door opened, and the wind lit on the fire. I’ve been lucky, I’d have frozen to death, ahah!" He let out a poorly conving laugh.

"But if it really had opened, wouldn’t the bell have rang then?" Selene innocently demanded, with a dazzling smile on her face.

The man scratched his head with a quite embarrassed expression, but he didn't know what else to say; he finally heaved a sigh, pulling another coin out from his bag.

" _Let's just say that you didn't see anything. Pinky swear_?" He softly whispered to her, carefully glancing around.

Selene turned to check if her parents were watching her. " _Pinky swear_." She replied back in almost inaudible tone, hiding the coin with a smirk.

The man sighed from relief, and, having settled his green eyes on her, he questioned, "You’re not an elf, are you? Your eyes-"

"Yeah, I know, different colors.” She seethed all of a sudden, glowering at him.. “Why does everybody keep telling me that?"

"-I was going to say that you have _beautiful_ eyes." He calmly quelled over her.

“Oh.” Selene blinked and cooled off. “Sorry, it’s just that-”

"Don’t worry,” the other one cut her short with a smile, “I should be the one to apologize. I didn’t even introduce myself yet. I’m..." He hesitated for a moment, before holding his hand out. “ _Clem_.”

She squeezed it vigorously. "Selene."

"Selene…" The man withdrew his aching hand, and whistled, "Well, that’s a rare name, you should be proud of it!"

Selene put both hands on her sides and straighten, proudly declaring, “Obviously, it’s my birthday today, and I’m the only half-elf in this town!"

She was speaking with a smile, but the man didn’t miss a lingering shade in her expression, as he warmed his frozen hands up near the fireplace.

"Am I wrong, or is there something you don’t want to say?” Clem coaxed her. “I can still recognize that face, after I lived for many years with a younger brother. Come on, spit it out."

The little girl ducked her gaze, yelding all at once as she moped, "I don’t get along with others.” She floundered, shrinking in herself. “I think it's because of my aspect. I'm neither an elf, nor a human. I’m almost always alone, it's like I don't have a place here."

Clem put his hand under the chin. "Mmh. I wouldn't say so, you know?" He proceeded to lower his head to look better at her eyes and winked, adding, "Actually, I'd say it's the opposite. You belong to two worlds at once, and this makes you unique, just like your name."

His lips were arched into a smirk, and this time Selene sincerely smiled back at him. For some reasons she couldn’t explain, she knew she could trust that man.

“The other children refuse to play with me, because of my appearance.” She hardly confessed with her hands folded behind her back.

Clem wrinkled his brow, harshly commenting, “Well, that’s not nice from them. But…” His gaze softened. “I can assure you that someday, they’ll change their mind. Appearance is the last thing that makes a difference in a friendship. And speaking of it…”

He grumbled something and rummaged in his bag. After a few seconds, he pulled out what appeared to be a glass sphere and fiddle with it. The item was around the size of his hand’s palm, and constantly emitted electric sparks.

"You know what it is?"

Clem approached the sphere to Selene, who shook her head and stared at it curiously.

"It’s a _primal stone_ , it contains an element. In this case," he tapped with a finger on the glass, in which swirled clouds, "the _Sky_. There was a time those things were difficult to find, but after the peace between elves and humans, they became quite common."

He handed the sphere down to the child, who took it in her hands.

"Did you use this thing before, when you casted that spell?"

"No.” Clem chuckled. “If you’re skilled enough, you don’t need it at all.”

“It looks difficult.” She pointed out, staring intently at the sphere.

“Hm, not really. You just have to _breathe_ , it’s simple."

Selene looked at it once more, before sighing and handing it back to him. But his hands were firmly crossed.

Clem winked at her. "It’s a present for your birthday,” he said to a gawking Selene, “Just a took of friendship. But,” his face suddenly became severe, “don’t use it if you didn’t receive a training. And, _do_ _not_ _throw it_. Understood?"

Selene huddled him up, and Clem giggled, "You know, if you are interested in magic, there is a new Academy in Del Bar. A childhood friend of mine now works there. It could be a new start for you, who knows?"

Her eyes widened. “Del Bar is very distant! Are you a person who likes to travel?”

“I... Guess so.”

“Wait… Maybe I also have something to give you!” She picked several sheets of paper from her dress, and gave one of them to the man.

Taking it, Clem looked up at it carefully. It was a sketch of a flower, with blue petals.

“It’s a _Moonflower_ , it only grows in my mother’s homeland. You know, she’s a Moonshadow-” She paused, noticing that the man’s lips were curved into a little smirk, and she immediately frowned, blurting out, “What is it? Don’t you like it?”

The other one shook the head, his green eyes still settled on the sketched flower. “Sorry, it’s just… Weird. You don’t have many friends, you like magic, and now it seems that you’re also really good at drawing. You remind me a lot of _someone_ , that’s all. Now that I think about it, I’ve already seen this flower. It was during a long journey that I started with a couple of friends, many years ago. Thanks for your gift.” He said, putting the drawing into his own book.

Selene let out a sigh of relief. “Glad you like it. I actually like to draw when I‘m angry or nervous.”

“I see.” Clem came back in amused tone. He shifted his sight to a portrait of a young boy in her hands. “Is that your boyfriend?”

She flushed, and immediately hid it. “He’s just a _... friend_.” Selene spluttered.

Clem arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “ _Really_?”

“I-“ Her skin became even redder than before. “I just like to draw him, ok?” She hollered.

“Look,” Clem reasoned, “I know this is none of my business, but if you think that there’s something more between you and that guy, once you grow up, you should tell him.”

“I’m afraid that could ruin our friendship.” She came clean, setting her jaw tight.

“ _Trust me_ ,” he snarked, “it’d be _way_ worse if you didn’t tell him. I know that from personal experience.”

" _Selene! Did you ask that gentleman what he wants to eat_?" Selene’s mother scream echoed across the inn.

Whipping around herself, she hurriedly questioned, "Oops! Right, sorry. Do you want to eat something, sir _Camel_?"

He frowned at that, griping, " _It's_ _C_ -… Ah, it doesn't matter, forget it. I'll get some stew, thanks. And..." He briefly paused . “... _And a jelly tart_.” He continued, whispering in a low voice.

Selene bursted into a laugh. “Aren’t you _a little bit_ too old for that?”

“It’s not for me.” He awkwardly stated, with an ear-to-ear grin.

She sneaked a glimpse at him, intent on looking at the window with a worried expression.

“Is there something wrong?”

Clem winced and turned again to her, apologizing with a sheepish face, “Sorry, I’m waiting for someone who was supposed to be here before me.”

"Alright, I'll be right back. And thanks again for the previous gift!

Selene bolted from him so fast that he barely managed following her with his eyes.

Staring at the nearby table, once he was sure enough to be out of earshot, he opened his book again, and started to sketch something with a pencil that was tied to it.

Shortly after, a satisfied Clem found himself looking at the perfect copy of Selene's face; he shut the book down, casting another worried glance at the window again.

He’d almost drifted off, when Selene suddenly returned with his plates, making him jump on his chair as she procaimed a loud, "Here I am!"

Rubbing his pupils, Clem thanked her and started eating, as Selene sat down at his table, huffing and opening a big book.

“What’s that?” He asked nonchalant, jerking his head at it.

“Oh, this one? It’s just a stupid history book. I still have to finish studying, my mother forces me to do so.” She said, snorting loudly. “Everyday I spend hours reading about stupid wars. I _hate_ history.”

Clem kept looking at it, swallowing a mouthful. “You know,” he said quietly, clearing his throat, “long time ago someone teached me something about history. He told me that  it isn’t just a narrative _of_ strenght, but also a narrative _of love_. That’s probably why you don’t like that book. You’re just reading it in the wrong way.”

Selene tore her different colored eyes from the book to him. “You really think so?”

 “Of course I do. Am I wrong, or your parents met each other thanks to a _stupid war_?” He quipped.

“Hm.” She muttered, as the inn’s door opened behind them a second time. “Perhaps.” She agreeded not so convinced. “Now that I think about it, I've always wanted to thanks those who put an end to that war, many years ago.”

“Ah, I’m sure they’d be happy to hear that.” He snickered, not paying attention to the person who slipped near their table. “Don’t tell anyone else, but it’s being said that they were _really_ weird. One of them could even speak to animals, and another one was an _assa_ -“

“ _Interesting theory, care to dicuss?_ ”

Something pointy touched Clem’s back, and he immediately stood up, turning around. There was a cloked and hooded figure right in front of him, who was touching him with a finger.

Selene looked at them confused when Clem suddenly bursted into a laugh, and hugged the hooded figure.

“Didn’t I already tell that you can’t sneak up on me like this?”

“You fell for that, admit it!” The voice under the hood retorted in an amused tone.

They remained hugged for a while, until the hooded figure noticed the kid near them.

"And you would be...?"

"My new apprentice." Clem proclaimed in a solemn tone.

The new guest gaped. "Isn’t she _a bit_ too young for that _?_ "

Clem let out a chuckle. "I was joking. She is the daughter of the inn’s owners, her name’s Selene. And she apparently likes my magic." He smiled to the kid.

"Oh, oh! I see you never stop to flatter yourself. Anyway, nice to meet you." The other figure leaned toward her. "You’re really pretty, you know?”

Selene stared at the face under the hood. She was tall, a little more than the man, and had violet eyes, with strange vertical lilac tatoos beneath them.

"Was it your friend you were waiting for, sir Clem?"

“Not just a friend.” He replied with a dazzling smile. “She’s one of the ambassadors between the human and elven kingdoms, and most important thing…” He added, lowerig the hood in front of him.

“ _She’s my wife_.”

He proceeded to kiss the other person.

Selene looked at her curiously. She had long straight silver hair, pointy ears, and a pair of long black horns on her head, that made her look taller than the man.

"You are a Moonshadow elf!"

The elf looked amused at her, still hugged to the man. "Well, congrats for your insight!"

“How was your journey?” Clem asked, his nose grasping hers.

She grimaced in response. “I was still sick this morning. But I really needed to see my uncles, after so long.” Then she froze, realizing what Selene said before. “ _Wait_. Since when did you start using that na-“

“It’s just _discretion_. We are supposed to be on holiday, remember?” He stopped her, tucking her hair behind her ears. “ _Y_ ou know how it always ends up when we travel around Xadia. I’ve been _so_ worried about you during these days.” He kissed her again.

Selene grimaced behind them, and returned to read her book. Maybe it was boring, but still better than _that_. Meanwhile, Clem seemed to realized that there was something off. He stared concerned at both the elf’s sides, tilting his head. “Where-“

“Ssh, d _on’t worry_.” She whispered into his ear, noddng at the door. Clem didn’t replied back, but at least seemed relieved.

Selene huffed, and lazily looked up from her book. “Now I’m curious, how did you two meet?”

“Well...” Clem casually started, scratching the back of his head. “ _That’s_ an interesting story. She actually tried to _kil_ -“

His breath choked when the elf hit his ribs with a precise elbow’s strike.

“I just _pushed_ you out of your home, that’s all.” She hissed, glaring at him.

“That’s _... Quite daring_ from you to say _.”_ He whined with tears in his eyes.

“Careful now, husband of mine.” The elf chorted in a threatening tone. “I still have _my pointy friends_ on my back.”

“Hm, I’ll try to remember that.” He put a hand on he belly. “And… _Him_?”

The elf ducked her head, cupping it with hers. “I can’t feel him moving yet. But I thought of a name during these days.” She whispered.

“Which name?”

“Well, I was thinking of _Ezr-_ “ She stopped, looking at Selene near them. “ _Ez_.”

Clem kissed her again. “It could work, but wouldn’t it be better to change family this time?”

Selene kept looking at them, her book still opened on the table.

 _‘What’s wrong with them_? _These guys are really weird_.’ She thought, her brow furrowed.

The inn’s door opened again, and little figure ran inside and darted around the tables, causing several dishes and bottles to crush on the floor.

“ _DADDY!_ ”

Clem knelt and opened his arms, lifting her from the floor and spinning around a couple of times.

“Gotcha! Hey, _little moonbeam_ , how you doing? Am I wrong, or have you grown up even more?” He placed a kiss on her cheek.

“I’ve just finished a snow-elf for you!” She excalimed proudly of herself.

“Wow, really?”

Selene threw a glance at the new guest tied up to the man with her four-finger hands. She was a bit younger that her, with tiny black horns, brown hairs, and rounded ears. Only after she turned around, Selene noticed her eyes: one green, and the other violet.

“You’re too a-”

Clem chuckled, as soon as he saw her face falling. “As you can see, you’re _definetely_ not alone. Her name’s _Sarai_.”

“I’m hungry, dad.” Sarai sulked.

Her mother stroked Sarai’s hair with her hand, where a small ring was glowing on the last finger. “She kept on saying that she wanted to see you before eating.”

“I’m not surprised, honestly. She’s as stubborn as you are.” Clem sighed. “Alright, here you go!”

He took the jelly tart from the table and gave it to Sarai, who began to eat it voraciously.

“She’s fine,” he reassured Selene with a smile, “it’s normal, she just _loves_ jelly tarts. I guess it has to be a family’s bad habit.”

The elf took the red scarf and tied it to his husband’s neck.

“Are you leaving so soon, sir Clem?” Selene grumbled behind them.

“I’m afraid so, our friend is waiting for us. But don’t worry, we’ll return here before visiting my brother. You two could play together, and meanwhile, we could choose a name for your little brother. Like the idea, honey?” He asked with a huff, putting his daughter on the shoulders.

Sarai made a sheepish face. “I’d like that.”

“First of all,” her mother pointed out dryly, “she has to finish her homework. Right?”

Clem rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on! She-“

“ _Right_?”

He let out a sigh, and shrugged. “Well Selene, it seems that you’ve just found a new friend. Just remember what I told you before, about how to read that book of yours. Now, it’s time to leave.” He took his wife’s hand.

“Sir Clem,” Selene started hesitantly, “I can’t decide. What should I do? I’d like to learn magic, but I also have to help my parents here. I-”

“Sorry,” he interrupted her, shooking his head, “but I can’t help you, not this time. You’re the only one who can take the decision. After all, _destiny_ is just like a book. And as you can see, I’ve already written mine.” He added, squeezing the hand of his wife, while Sarai was pulling his hair. “Good luck with your future, and with your f _riend_.” He grinned mischievously.

Selene blushed, and immediately returned to read her history book. Hopefully, she’d already arrived at the last chapter, ‘ _Peace Negotiations’_.

It was then, that her gaze met a drawing on the last page. She narrowed her eyes, staring at it carefully.

The drawing represented three persons: a kid with weird hair and dark skin, an elf with two swords, tatoos on her face, and a Moonflower behind her ear, holding the hand of another boy with green eyes, a book, and a red scarf tied several times around his neck.

Clem and his family were near the inn’s door, when Selene’s voice echoed behind them.

“Who you really are?”

The man froze, his hand still on the door’s handle. He turned his head and winked to her, before leaving the inn.

“I’ve already told you before, remember? _I’m just someone who like to travel_.”


End file.
